The No. 18 Oklahoma State Cowboys and the No. 20 Houston Cougars are set for a key Big 12 Conference showdown on Saturday at TDECU Stadium.
The Cowboys (4-1, 2-0 in Big 12) are looking for their fifth straight victory since a season-opening loss to Tulsa. Oklahoma State is also seeking some revenge for their 39-17 loss to the Cougars (5-1, 2-10) last year in Stillwater.
It's a big game in the Big 12 for the Cowboys. After going 1-11 last season and firing legendary coach Mike Gundy — and winning just four games in their last two seasons — first-year Cowboys head coach Eric Morris is already equaled the program's win total for the past two seasons. A victory on Saturday keeps the Cowboys undefeated in Big 12 play at the midway point of their season.
Houston was one of the contenders in the Big 12 coming into the season and the Cougars are off to a great start. But Houston is already absorbed a Big 12 loss to Texas Tech and when it comes to contending for the Big 12 championship game the Cougars can ill afford another.
ESPN's College GameDay was in Provo, Utah, on Saturday morning to preview the BYU-Notre Dame game, and they provided predictions for many of the big games of the day, including OSU and Houston.
The crew of Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and celebrity guest picker Steve Young all revealed their game picks for Oklahoma State-Houston.
Here are the predictions:
Desmond Howard: Oklahoma State
The former Super Bowl MVP selected the Cowboys because of the quarterback, Drew Mestemaker.
“I like quarterback Drew Mestemaker and what he's done for the Cowboys on offense so far,” Howard said.
Pat McAfee: Houston
The former NFL punter and host of the Pat McAfee show — who earlier on Gameday gave away $3 million in the weekly kicking challenge selected the Cougars due to coaching.
“I like Houston and coach [Willie] Fritz as well,” he said.
Steve Young: Houston
The BYU legend, former Super Bowl champion and former Monday Night Countdown host came in to make his pick. He selected the Cougars because he likes what he sees from quarterback Conner Weigman.
“Conner Weigman has 15 touchdowns and one interception. He's a true dual threat,” Young said. “He's a true dual threat — not a runner who can pass, he's a passer who can run.”
Nick Saban: Houston
The former Alabama boss, who won seven national champions as a head coach, talked about the Cougars program as he made his pick.
“I think they're one of the most underrated teams in the country,” Saban said.
Kirk Herbstreit: Oklahoma State
The former Ohio State Buckeye quarterback and game analyst for ESPN’s lead broadcast went with the Cowboys, seeing quarterback player as the differentiator.
“[Houston] has a balanced attack with Weigman and they're going to run the football. We've been talking about Mestemaker. This guy is playing as well as any quarterback in college football. I think he's the difference in a game, a high scoring shootout old school WAC kind of game.”
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